Dream a little dream
by Ms Kitten
Summary: What if season one Violet had a dream of her life in season four, how would she react? Violet/Cooper friendship, Violet/Pete


Disclaimer: I do not own Private Practice or the characters within, they are creations of Shonda Rhimes and I am simply borrowing them for my own entertainment.

AN: The idea is basically, what if the characters in season one got a little peak at where they would be at in season four, how would they react? The idea felt very crack!fic-like to me, so originally I wasn't too sure if I wanted to write it, but then this scenario came to mind and I decided to give it a shot. Thank you, Mediatorsk, for betaing!

AN2: I live for reviews, so whether you loved it or hated it, I want to know!

* * *

First thing he notices is the awful taste in his mouth, accompanied by the worst case of furry tongue he can recall ever having. The throbbing neck pain comes next when he opens his eyes and realizes his uncomfortable sleeping position, sitting on Violet's hardwood floor, his upper back resting against her couch and his head slumped forward. His body is subtly attempting to tell him he's getting too old for this form of alcoholic adventures, but as always his eternal boyish mind is simply too stubborn to listen.

He feels the weight of his best friend's head on his shoulder and gently nudges her awake, much to her objection.

"When did we end up on the floor?" she groans sleepily, pushing herself to a more upright position.

"I think somewhere after the third tequila," Cooper responds, helping himself, then her, up from the floor and onto the couch.

"I had the weirdest dream," Violet mumbles, laying down, resting her head on the armrest, placing both her feet in Cooper's lap.

"Tell me about it?" Cooper asks as he takes her right foot in his hands, gently rubbing it.

"I was married... to Pete..."

Although he should laugh at the absurdity, he can't help but feel a sudden pang of jealousy. He looks over at his best friend, the woman he's secretly had a thing for for many years, now. She doesn't even seem to notice that he's no longer rubbing her feet.

"And _you_..." She begins to laugh. "_You_ walked in on us having sex on this very couch."

Her laughter increases, but when she realizes her best friend isn't laughing with her, she sobers up. "Come on, Cooper, that's funny."

"Maybe," he shrugs, uncomfortably. "But why Pete?"

Violet laughs at his childish whine and shakes her head. "Would you prefer it was Sam? Or better yet, Alan? The mind works in mysterious ways. It picks up bits and pieces of our lives and mix them into these absurd concoctions that become our dreams. But hey, if you're in the mood to analyze, we could always tackle your dream of proposing to Charlotte King."

He throws his hands into the air. "Okay, okay, I give up."

* * *

It's the end of the work day and Violet is sitting crosslegged on her couch, going through patient notes, when she feels a presence and looks up to find Pete standing in her doorway with a smug grin on his face.

"Oh, I'm gonna kill Cooper," she mutters.

"First Addison and now you? Talk about making a guy feel popular around here," Pete gently teases.

"It's just a stupid dream, it doesn't mean anything."

"Cooper seems to think it does. You should've heard him earlier."

"Cooper should focus on his own dream and butt out of mine."

Pete cocks his brows. "And what dream would that be?"

"Forget it. Cooper might not respect the sanctity of best friendship, but that doesn't mean I don't."

Pete chuckles and plops down on the couch opposing hers. "So, from a therapeutic perspective, why do you think you're dreaming about me?"

Violet rewards his cocky grin with a pointed glare. "First of all, I had _one_ dream that involved you, that does _not_ amount to me dreaming about you," she corrects. "Secondly, dreams are our subconscious' way of working through whatever issues we might be struggling with in our awakened state. The way the mind construct these dreams is by using impressions from our day to day lives to repressent each issue. So, for instance, the two of us being married and having a kid together could simply be my mind's way of expressing my conflict with Alan marrying Cami and trying to have a kid."

She closes the folder in her lap and puts it on the table in front of her. "I can't say I particularily want to get married. It didn't make my parents happy, not to mention I'm on this couch every day dealing with the aftermath of people who got married that never should have. And I've never desired to have kids, I just don't see myself as the mothering type, and I like my freedom. I'm not even sure I want Alan back. Let's face it, the guy was an ass, a pee-smelling, arrogant ass." This earns her a chuckle from Pete. "And frankly I deserve better..."

Her emotional catharsis lasts for less than a minute before her shoulders slump and she looks down. "I guess my biggest issue is that he's moving on with his life, while I seem to be stuck in this rut. And I want to get past this so badly that my mind is concocting this alternative scenario where I've moved on and Alan is a non-issue."

A moments silence pass as Violet looks up to see a more somber expression on Pete's face. Their usual roles have somewhat been polarized. Usually Pete is the one lamenting about Anna and Violet is the one listening and offering her insight. She never realized he could be such a good listener.

"It still doesn't explain why me," Pete suddenly says. The remark alongside the reappearance of his smug grin causes her to laugh.

"Maybe listening to all of Addison's dreams caused it," she shrugs, "Or maybe you were the last person I saw before going home that day. Don't let it get to your head."

"Too late." This time it's the both of them who laugh. "You've never thought about it, though? About me?"

She smiles and mildly shake her head. "You forget I know you..."

"Crappy relationship skills and tendency to drive away women, aside, have you ever thought about me that way?"

Violet wonders what made the conversation turn this direction. She doesn't necessarily think Pete needs any reason to get more cocky than he already is, but at the same time she can't exactly lie and say she's never thought about it. He's an attractive guy with many great qualities hidden underneath his relationship issues. "Maybe once or twice," she finally admits. Deciding to play the game, she follows up, "Have you ever thought about me?"

"Maybe once or twice," he smartly retorts.

Violet can't decide if he's only teasing or if he's genuinely flirting with her, so she settles on crossing her arms and rolling her eyes.

Pete takes the hint and follows up. "I bare my soul to you on a regular basis, and not because I think you're a great shrink - not to say I don't," he quickly adds. "You're good at your job, but you're an even better friend. I know I have... trust issues, but I trust you."

With that Pete gets up to leave. As he reaches the door, he turns around. "I'm not above the occasional fantasy," he shrugs. "Alan's an idiot for letting you go."


End file.
